Extremely Incredible

I have lived through two of what I would call National Defining Moments. When President John F. Kennedy was shot I was in ninth grade, and, of course September 11, 2001.

I have never met any person that lived through either tragedy that did not remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when “it” happened. The one thing that I was not consciously aware of was the degree of personal pain that lingers all these years later over 9/11. Oh, I still have November 1963 fresh enough to have vivid images and memories but the World Trade Center is still a raw wound that we carry around with us.

I was reminded clearly of that a few weeks ago when I watched the Bones TV episode, The Patriot in Purgatory which aired on 11-12-12. More than anything the show was about the ongoing pain we survivors still bear. I can honestly say I have not seen another show that has handled this subject so very sensitively. If you can watch it ‘On Demand’ or over the internet (free on Hulu here) I would strongly recommend that you do. It is not one of those that will ruin your day, rather it will remind you of a burden we all silently share.

Just tonight I watched a movie that will probably stay with me for a long time. I must warn you, this one is rather painful and left me in tears on multiple occasions. That being said, I would rate it as one of the best films I have seen in a long time.

I am talking about Extremely Loud & Incredibly Closewith Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock and young Thomas Horn. The movie is about a rather unusual boy and what he goes through recovering from the loss of his father in the WTC collapse. Horn’s portrayal of the troubled child is perfection as is Bullock’s representation of his disconnected mother and her attempts to cope, and also relate to him.

After about 30 minutes discomfort leading into the ‘post’ 9/11 part of the story, the movie turns out to be a heartwarming tale of family, love and uncharacteristic human warmth. If you have a heart this movie will warm it deeply. And that makes it worth every bit of the troubling memories. At least it did to me. I hope you will feel the same.

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